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| - Where to begin? I feel it is difficult to write an objective review of a restaurant that opened a lot of metaphoric doors for me. I cannot remember the date of my first visit (it was in the winter, possibly 2003), nor count the number of visits since (though a good guess would probably be at least 100 times for lunch, dinner, sudden bursts of craving, take-aways, snack attacks, etc), but this restaurant has been a huge influence on me. My Asian dining had been relegated to Treasures of China and other sub-par Chinese buffets before; after Golden Bell, it would be the good stuff all the way!
My first visit was with my then-girlfriend (now wife) and a couple of her friends. They recommended we visit this place for lunch, it was a great place to eat with good food, so off we went. I had never had Vietnamese food before, but I do remember vividly my first few bites of the charbroiled pork vermicelli with spring rolls: I LIKE THIS. In fact, I liked it so much, I regret to say I have rarely strayed from this tried-and-true dish in all the years since. I have attempted many of the dishes (the squid, their flavorful Pho soup, nearly all the appetizers, most of the fruit shakes), but the special #2 (#62 on the menu, with a small bowl of incredible won ton soup and a pop) is the one for me. The shrimp salad rolls are always fresh and leave the mint leaves to the imagination, and GB is probably the best Viet place for having crisp lettuce to go with your piping hot spring rolls.
The staff have always been great, and we are on a casual-comment basis with the kindly owner, an upstanding guy we were contemplating inviting to our wedding years before the events, despite not knowing his actual name. Many of the staff have come and gone in the years since we've been there, but they all share an enthusiasm for the food, and are rapid in bringing the food, with 100% accuracy in my experience. I have never had a bad meal here (maybe a couple of merely okay ones), but I doubt I would change my mind about this place as a stand-by when I want Vietnamese.
If you are trying Vietnamese for the first time, Golden Bell is a fantastic place to start!
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